Parliamentary Chaos Ensues as Majority MPs Walk Out During Approval of 2024 Budget

In a tumultuous session within Parliament today, the Majority Members of Parliament staged a walkout during the critical processes to ratify the 2024 budget, causing abrupt closure of proceedings. The heated debate surrounding the government’s 2024 Fiscal and Financial Policy Statement ended as both minority and minority leaders concluded their submissions.

Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, proceeded to prompt a voice vote for the approval or rejection of the policy document. However, the Minority MPs contested the Speaker’s ruling that the budget was approved by a majority voice vote and demanded a head count.

This insistence on a head count sparked intense disagreement between the opposing sides. Despite the Speaker’s insistence that the headcount should proceed, the Majority MPs chose to leave the session in disagreement.

Tempers flared, leading to a temporary suspension of the sitting by the Speaker. Upon the resumption of the session, a swift adjournment of the House was announced within a matter of minutes.

The presentation of the 2024 budget policy document by the Minister of Finance, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, on November 15, 2023, set the stage for this contentious parliamentary clash. The deadlock and abrupt closure underscore the heightened tensions surrounding the approval process of the critical fiscal policy for the upcoming year.